Captain Miller (Tamil militant)

Last updated

Captain
Miller
மில்லர்
Captain Miller.jpg
Born
Vallipuram Vasanthan

(1966-01-01)1 January 1966
Died5 July 1987(1987-07-05) (aged 21)
Nelliady, Sri Lanka
Nationality Sri Lankan
Years active1983–1987
Organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Known forFirst Black Tiger

Vallipuram Vasanthan (Tamil : வல்லிப்புரம் வசந்தன்; 1 January 1966 – 5 July 1987), commonly known by the nom de guerre Captain Miller, was a Sri Lankan Tamil member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka. He was the LTTE's first Black Tiger. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life

Vasanthan was born on 1 January 1966. [5] [6] He was from Thunnalai in northern Sri Lanka. [6] He was the son of a bank manager and had two siblings. [7] He was educated at Hartley College in Point Pedro. [5] [7] [8] [9]

LTTE

Captain Miller shrine at Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam on Black Tigers Day, 2004. LTTE Black Tiger Commemoration Nelliady 2004.jpg
Captain Miller shrine at Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam on Black Tigers Day, 2004.

Disturbed by the Black July anti-Tamil riots, Vasanthan joined the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1983 as a driver. [7] [10] He became a full time member of the LTTE a year later. [10] He was given the nom de guerre Miller (Millar). [11] [12]

During the Vadamarachchi Operation (Operation Liberation) the Sri Lanka Army took over Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam and turned it into a military base. [13] [14] [15] The LTTE resolved to capture the base which was heavily reinforced and surrounded by barbed wire. [14] Miller volunteered to drive a bomb filled vehicle into the heart of the base. [14] [16] Miller visited his family on 29 June 1987 and treated them and his friends to ice cream. [10] On 5 July 1987 the LTTE filled a truck with explosives and wedged Miller's body into the driver's seat so that he couldn't move even if he wanted to. [14] His hands were tied to the steering wheel and one foot to the accelerator. [14] Fellow LTTE cadres started the truck which started moving. [14] Miller steered the explosive filled truck into the army camp at Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam. Miller was most likely killed at the first barricades when soldiers opened fire but the truck kept going, ramming into the main school building and exploding. [14] The explosion created a crater as big as a bus. [15] Other LTTE cadres who were following Miller's truck launched an attack on the camp and captured it. [14] Scores of soldiers were killed and wounded. [a]

The incident was videotaped and Miller was posthumously promoted to captain. [14] He became a revered figure in the LTTE and his face was on the insignia of the Black Tigers, the LTTE's suicide wing. [14] 5 July became Karumpuli Naal (Black Tigers Day), a day for supporters of LTTE to commemorate Black Tiger suicide bombers. [5] [14] [17] [20] A shrine, including a golden statue of Miller, was built at Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam. [13] [21] After the Sri Lankan military re-captured the Vadamarachchi region in 1996 they destroyed Miller's shrine but locals managed to save and hide his statue. [22] [23] The statue and new memorial plaque were re-installed in 2002 during the Norwegian mediated Cease Fire Agreement. [22] [23] After war resumed, Miller's statue was attacked and destroyed by armed men on 23 August 2006. [23] The remnants of the shrine – the dais on which Miller's statue stood and stone memorial plaque – were destroyed by the army on 4 July 2010. [22]

His name inspired the title of a Tamil movie released in 2024 starring Dhanush; however, the movie is not about the real Captain Miller, but rather a fictional soldier-turned-rebel who fights against the British Raj in the 1930s.

Notes

  1. ↑ Estimates of the number of soldiers killed at Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam vary – 17, [13] 18, [15] 20, [14] 30, [17] 40, [14] [16] [18] 55. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam</span> Tamil organisation in Sri Lanka (1976–2009)

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the northeast of the island in response to violent persecution and discriminatory policies against Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Pedro</span> Town in Sri Lanka

Point Pedro, also known as Paruthithurai is a town, located in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka, at the northernmost point of the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Tigers</span> Sri Lankan separatist military unit

The Black Tigers was an elite suicide commando unit of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant Tamil separatist organization in Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pottu Amman (Tamil militant)</span> LTTE Rebel

Shanmugalingam Sivashankar was a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel and leading member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thileepan</span> Sri Lankan rebel (1960–1987)

Rasaiah Parthipan was a Tamil Eelam revolutionary and member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka. He died while on hunger strike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shankar (Tamil militant)</span> Sri Lanakan rebel (1949–2001)

Vaithilingam Sornalingam was founder of the air wing and marine division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and a relative of Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Eelam War I is the name given to the initial phase of the armed conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Tigers</span> Air force of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

The Tamil Eelam Air Force or Sky Tigers was the air service branch of the Divisions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who used it against the Government of Sri Lanka. They also called themselves the Tamileelam Air Force (TAF). Though the existence of the Sky Tigers had been the subject of speculation for many years, the existence of the wing was only revealed after an attack in March 2007, during Eelam War IV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aranthalawa massacre</span> 1987 Buddhist monk massacre

The Aranthalawa massacre was the massacre of 33 Buddhist monks, most of them young novice monks, and four civilians by cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam organization on June 2, 1987, close to the village of Aranthalawa, in the Ampara District of Eastern Sri Lanka. The massacre is among the most notorious and devastating atrocities committed by the LTTE during the history of the Sri Lankan Civil War, and continues to be commemorated 35 years on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles (Tamil militant)</span> Sri Lankan Tamil militant

Shanmuganathan Ravishankar was a leading member of the TOSIS, the intelligence wing of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka.

Suicide Bombing was a popular tactic of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of attacking enemies to maximize enemy casualties and minimize attacker's casualties.

Nelliady is a town in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. It is one of the busiest towns in Jaffna district.

Divisions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam refers to the military, intelligence and overseas divisions the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Most of these divisions were destroyed during the Eelam War IV, and only parts of the intelligence and financing divisions remain overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1998 Temple of the Tooth attack</span> Terrorist attack by LTTE

The 1998 Temple of the Tooth attack was an attack on the Temple of the Tooth Relic, located in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The shrine, which is considered to be important to the Buddhists in Sri Lanka, houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha, and is also a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site. In 1998, it was attacked by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state in Northern and Eastern parts of the country, from 1983 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelliady Madhya Maha Vidyalayam</span> Public provincial school in Nelliady, Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka

Nelliady Central College is a national school in Nelliady, Sri Lanka.

Sarawanabavanandan Shanmuganathan was a Sri Lankan Tamil militant, politician and Member of Parliament.

The Battle of Nelliady took place during the early stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War. It occurred on 5 July 1987, when a force of 50 LTTE militants assaulted the Sri Lanka Army Camp located in the Nelliady Central College in the town of Nelliady in the Jaffna District in northern Sri Lanka. The attack was the bloodiest battle for the Sri Lankan forces since the Vadamarachchi Operation in June 1987, which cleared the area of Nelliady of LTTE militants. The attack on Nelliady army camp resulted in the Sri Lankan forces suffering 19 killed and 31 wounded, while LTTE executed its first suicide bombing which was carried out by Captain Miller.

References

  1. ↑ Birtley, Tony (23 July 2007). "Sri Lanka's Black Tigers". Al Jazeera . Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Tamil Tigers mark suicide attacks". BBC News . 5 July 2007. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  3. ↑ Karunakharan, P. (6 July 2004). "LTTE's senior leader killed". Deccan Herald . Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Athas, Iqbal (13 October 1996). "Censorship out: then events unfurled". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) . Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Karumpuli Naal marked worldwide". Tamil Guardian . 5 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  6. 1 2 Sri Kantha, Sachi. "Homage to the Black Tigers: A Review of the Sooriya Puthalvargal 2003 Memorial Souvenir". Ilankai Tamil Sangam. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Pleven, Liam (19 July 2005). "Secrets of their success (part 2)". Newsday . Archived from the original on 1 October 2007.
  8. ↑ "Hartley College Milestones". Hartley College. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008.
  9. ↑ "Vasanthan Vallipuram". Hartley College. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 "Statue of Miller at Nelliady School". Sunday Leader . 10 July 2005. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  11. ↑ Weiss, Gordon (2011). The Cage (Weiss book) . The Bodley Head. p. 65.
  12. ↑ Barbagli, Marzio (2015). Farewell to the World: A History of Suicide. Polity Press. p. 268. ISBN   978-0-7456-6244-2.
  13. 1 2 3 Pleven, Liam (19 July 2005). "Secrets of their success (part 1)". Newsday . Archived from the original on 14 August 2005.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Lewis, Jeffrey William (2012). The Business of Martyrdom: A History of Suicide Bombing. Naval Institute Press. ISBN   978-1-61251-097-2.
  15. 1 2 3 Athas, Iqbal (11 July 1999). "Lots of promises, but precious little". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) . Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  16. 1 2 Gunaratna, Rohan (5 February 2000). "The LTTE and suicide terrorism". Frontline . 17 (3). Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  17. 1 2 Athas, Iqbal (12 July 2004). "The End Of Peace?". Outlook . Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "Dying with enemy after dining with chief". The Nation (Sri Lanka) . 9 July 2006. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Perera, Amantha (12 July 2006). "Black Tigers bare their fangs". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  20. ↑ "LTTE leader pays homage to Black Tigers". TamilNet . 5 July 2006. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  21. ↑ Perera, Amantha (17 July 2003). "Suicide bombers feared and revered". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 17 December 2003.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  22. 1 2 3 "SLA destroys remnants of Black Tiger Miller monument in Vadamaraadchi". TamilNet . 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  23. 1 2 3 "Armed men attack Black Tiger Miller statue in Vadamaradchi". TamilNet . 24 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.